Questions prepared By: Roxane, Onrpg editor
Answered by: Wayne Wang, Product Manager
With a turn-based battle system, Aurora Blade is the first browser-based 2D RPG released by IGG. It is the licensed English version of the Chinese game Miuworld. The Aurora Blade Closed Beta was released on December 5th. At the very beginning, this fantasy game will take players to the Aurora Seaport which used to be a nearly deserted ferry terminal. It became busy again when large groups of adventurers began arriving. Nobody knows where the evil has returned from, though there are hundreds of stories about the evil being passed along from battle-hardened heroes.
Onrpg: Aurora Blade has been playable in Chinese as Miuworld. Are you planning to change game features in Aurora Blade?
Aurora Blade: Not now, at least not for the Closed Beta version. But we do try to combine our ideas with players’ suggestions and put them into our further actions.
Onrpg: What responses do you expect to receive from the Closed Beta players? Which features require a lot of testing, and what do you think players will find extra appealing?
Aurora Blade: We’re kind of hoping that we can get some feedback from participating players on bugs we haven’t yet found in game. What’s more, we also want to know what they think of the game in general. It will help us a lot when making some adjustments or adding more things into the game later.
I guess all game features require a lot of testing, especially the Class system, PK system, and Competition system. The PK system in Aurora Blade is designed to offer players more fun and excitement through fair competition. To this end we have developed a set of detailed rules and regulations to guarantee fairness in the bouts. We also have a firm set of rules regarding any actions that have been deemed to be malicious in any way.
Competing is quite different from PK and more like a friendly duel. Players can discover new strategies to becoming a competition leader by equipping different gear sets, using different skill combos, exploiting class weaknesses and more, all through competition. When you compete, you get a chance to earn the mutual respect of your opponents and you can even make friends with them. However, one of the main attractions of this competition has to be the fantastic rewards!
Onrpg: What makes Aurora Blade unique and fun to play? What plans do you have for further enhancing this factor?
Aurora Blade: In accordance with our goals from the very beginning, Aurora Blade features all the best characteristics and advantages of PC games, MMORPGs and browser-based games in one slick package. We will also try to improve the game graphics and perfect the in-game systems in the near future.
Onrpg: As a browser-based MMO, how do you think this will change the game play habits of gamers interested in this genre?
Aurora Blade: Just like “Diablo” and “Command and Conquer”, it was a simple click of the mouse and all problems were solved. As for Aurora Blade, less keyboard-play means players will have more chances to talk with others in game. This fits with our close knit community approach to gaming. What’s more, players can play while browsing the internet, so they don’t need to wait for the client to open or kill time waiting for the client to download or update.
Onrpg: Could you please offer some information on the feature system and how this contributes to the game play experience?
Aurora Blade: Let’s talk a little about the Class Transfer System and the Rebirth System. As long as players have at least 30 basic skill points, they can choose to transfer classes. Each class in Aurora Blade contains four basic sub classes and enables each one to possess its own strong abilities. After reaching level 60, players can be reborn by completing certain quests. After rebirth a character will possess more stats points than before and will be able to use specially designed, more powerful gear. If players finish all the main quests before Level 60, they can accept the rebirth quest. After defeating the Nirvana Area Guardian, the rebirth quest is done! This system gives characters a second chance at life without the weakness of starting over!
Onrpg: Will there be an option to buy items to use in the game, and how will this benefit the gameplay?
Aurora Blade: Yes, the in-game Item Mall will be released later. There will be lots of options and players will be able to find the items they like to use in game with no problem. For example, some potions will allow players to recover during battle while some magic stones will help them refine/enchant their gear. There are even diamond rings if they’re ready to propose to their game lover.
Onrpg: What’s your response with regard to the expectant players that compare the artwork from Aurora Blade to the artwork used in some other MMOs (like Ragnarok Online)?
Aurora Blade: Players do have a keen sense of art, definitely better than us. In fact, there was a bit of a shock in the first place. As many people know, Aurora Blade had already been run as Miuworld on mainland China and in Taiwan. During this time there were no copyright issues raised concerning this title. We feel now that this was a careless mistake on our part, which should not have been allowed to happen under any circumstances. IGG is strongly against any form of copyright infringement, so we contacted the Aurora Blade developer to start an investigation into this issue as soon as it was brought to our attention.
Onrpg: What kind of environments and areas will players be able to explore and battle in?
Aurora Blade: We tried to provide a fun, healthy, positive and fair gaming environment for our players. Therefore, we added various maps and scenes according to the storyline. It is easy for players to have fun exploring these maps or fighting with others.
Onrpg: Will there be special in-game events for the Aurora Blade player community? Are you planning something special for the release?
Aurora Blade: Definitely. We always enjoy holding many different kinds of in-game events for our player. Recently, we’ve been holding a series of events for the closed beta players, and more special ones will be released very soon. Please stay tuned to the Aurora Blade official website, for more information.
Onrpg: What are some of your plans for future releases for Aurora Blade?
Aurora Blade: We are redesigning some graphic elements, and are always seeking new ways of improving existing in-game systems. On the other hand, we get suggestions day-by-day from the closed beta players and constantly seek input from players on ways to make Aurora Blade an even better game.
Last but not the least, we want to say thank you to all of our supporters, without you all these would be meaningless. And thanks to Onrpg.com for the coverage.
